Wednesday 25 January 2017

Grebes and harriers

Dungeness - cold, grey and grim, light airs - We kicked off at the Patch where the two 1st winter Iceland Gulls were located over the boil and on the beach. The drake Eider also obliged amongst a host of Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls. Offshore a few Red-throated Divers and Gannets moved east into the bay in the murk.
  Moving onto the bird reserve a scan of New Diggings revealed two Slavonian Grebes amongst the diving ducks, Great Crested Grebes and gulls, 20 Tree Sparrows at Boulderwall and the wintering Ring-necked Duck. Burrowes was quiet with just the usual wildfowl, Cormorants and gulls, but no sign of the Long-eared Owls by the Dipping Pool. From Springfield Bridge more Marsh Harriers, egrets, Linnets and a Raven.
Camber/Scotney - The lake to the west of the village still held the Red-necked Grebe and on the way back we located the Black-necked Grebe from the double bends to complete the full suite of grebes.
Walland Marsh - Several Common Buzzards were noted on the drive across the Marsh along with 20 Golden Plovers. At Cheyne Ct at least 50 Bewick`s Swans were tracked down in a field amongst 100 Mute Swans with five Tundra Bean Geese nearby. More Common Buzzards were noted here, plus 20 Song Thrushes. We finished the afternoon at the Woolpack reedbed where five Marsh Harriers came to roost.

2 comments:

  1. I've been watching two pairs of Marsh Harriers carrying out daily courtship display flights here, over usual breeding area for the last two weeks.

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  2. Its a similar picture here too Derek, on the RSPB reserve and also around the roost sites on occasions. Spring beckons...

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